December 31 Our entertainment center



December 31st

We finally got our projector set up and feel so excited with our inventive ways of doing things.  There isn’t really a place to put it in our room so we pulled the bed out and stuck a box behind the bed, sometimes it does slip a little, but not too bad.  Put the computer on the box, raise the projector up with another little box and there you go our 60 inch projected movie screen on the wall.  Not too bad huh?

 



December 30 For MEN.....why?


December 30th

What’s up with all of these “FOR MEN” products? (check it out on the internet)
 

 
 

"Nestle" company launched the first in Russia chocolate for men
Nestle® Classic for Men

http://www.sostav.ru/eng/news/2005/12/09/r1/


"Nestle" company, the world leader in manufacture of foodstuffs and drinks, launched the first chocolate for men on the Russian market - Nestle® Classic for Men. It is the new format of chocolate bar, developed specially for men. Excellent taste, original package design and the form of chocolate - the thick rectangular bar, divided into large pieces, which will not be lost on a man's palm, - all that makes this chocolate a verily man's product. The novelty is presented in three flavouring variants: a milk chocolate, a milk chocolate with whole almond and a milk chocolate with peanut and raisin. According to the Omnibus researches, realized by "Masmi" company by request of "Nestle" in 2005, most of men prefer a milk chocolate (48%), 37% of men prefer dark chocolate, and 15 % choose other types of chocolate (white and mixed).

The idea of this product creation, intended only for men, is based on deep understanding of a modern man psychology. "The role of woman in a society is more and more increasing. A distinction between a woman and a man is gradually drawn. So much the men would like to have things, which will belong only to them. Considering this need, "Nestle" company developed a key idea of "untouchable man's property", which was laid in the basis of Nestle® Classic for Men strategic concept",- Aleksandra Tarasinkevich, senior manager of trademarks of confectionery products department of "Nestle" company, says.

The novelty appeared on sale from the beginning of November of this year. On November 21 the advertising campaign Nestle® Classic for Men, built on the ironical opposition of two sexes, was launched. The appeal "Protect from women" acts as the slogan of Nestle® Classic for Men, which allocates a target audience of this product in playful form. Strategy of the new product promotion and the campaign creative concept were developed by Lowe Adventa advertising agency. "There are two worlds in a basis of the ads creative concept - "man's" and "woman's", where interests and opinions are frequently opposite. Nestle® Classic for Men chocolate acts as the powerful buffer, which is fencing off the "man's" world, rough and rigid, from the "woman's" one, sentimental, gentle and vulnerable ", - Alexey Fedorov, Lowe Adventa copyrighter, says.

The format of a woman's TV program, where a presenter has an intimate talk with representatives of the weaker sex and listens to their emotional experiences with understanding, allows showing some sides of a female nature with irony. Appearance of Nestle® Classic for Men chocolate at the most unexpected moment shows attitude of a man to the problems of such character - "...No tears, no sentiments...". Men are not such as women, therefore they like everything big, weighty, brutal - that will not be lost on a palm. Here it is - the rough man's truth!

December 29 Rug cleaning in the winter


December 29th

Remember the rug beating pictures and video in the summer?  Well it doesn’t stop for the winter, just a different twist…… I was afraid she was going to slip and fall while trying to hang that rug up, it just didn't want to stay.
Notice how this person cleans her rugs after beating the dirt off of them?
 
 


 

 

 

 
 



 

 

 
 
Cleaning it with snow, not such a bad idea as long as the snow is.....
WHITE!!!

 

 
 


 

 
 
 

December 28 Familiar?

December 28th


Legos and Ninjago…..if you have kids or grandkids or know any kids you probably know about these things……well they know about them in Russia too!!!


December 27 A Play in Moscow

December 27th


Speaks for itself, right?  Translated “Red Riding Hood”
 

December 26 Embarrassing!!!


December 26th

Lewis should really be ashamed walking around the store like this!!

December 25 American Christmas in Russia

December 25th


It is Christmas Day and Santa did come to visit us.  What a wonderful guy to find us way over here in Russia. He left each of us a stocking of goodies and both of us a projector so that we can watch movies from our computer projected out onto the wall. (It will also be good for Lewis teaching things at the dairy from information on his computer)


 

The weather is not too bad, a little snow and not terribly cold (matter of opinion right?)

Stacee was so sweet to send Christmas gifts from her with us and we opened them with her on skype which is always fun.  We also received handmade washcloths from Lewis’ sister Pam and they are wonderful! Thank you so much!!
 
 
 
We were on skype with mom and dad when they opened the gifts from us, I think dad likes his Russian hat.
 

December 24 Christmas Eve (in the USA)


Dec 24th

 

At 11:30am it is -2 F and feels like -18 F.  Later in the week will be the warmest day all month, but it only lasted that one day. 
 
 

 
 

In the evening we went over to the cheese plant and the owner gave each of us a Christmas gift.  Even though it isn’t the day they celebrate Christmas they knew it was Christmas Eve for us and we were far from home and our family and friends.  The bags had lots of goodies in them and we appreciated the thought.  They also gave us a little tree and light up snowman.


 
 
 
 

Even though they don’t celebrate Christmas in Russia until January 7th, Santa was tracked on NORAD coming to see us and maybe any other Americans living in Russia.  I was tracking him at 7:56pm and 10:18pm. Around 11:56pm he made it and we were pleasantly surprised by what he left us when we saw it the next morning.




 
 
 

We bought a little Christmas Tree a few weeks ago and here are the gifts we brought back from some of our family in the states that were so kind to give to us.